Star Wars: Sith Arc
by KamikazePyro
Summary: Jedi Knight Bysnys Bansem's mission is to take down the fighter ship heading for the capital, but the Sith won't let him do it that easily.


**A/N: **_Just as a word of caution, I have very little knowledge of the Star Wars universe. I'm a fan, but I haven't watched a full movie in months and I'm not anywhere near as knowledgeable on the subject as my girlfriend Fantasywriter14 (who you should DEFINITELY check out; she's a great writer). But anyway, I hope you enjoy enough to review it and let me know what you thought. Constructive criticism is always welcomed!_

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><p><strong>Sith Arc<strong>

With a simple swipe of his blue saber, Bysnys Bansem cut down the droid assaulting him, Force crushing the two metallic halves that clanked to the floor, avoiding any Terminator-like reboot. He powered down his saber, clipping it to his belt as he Force sprinted the corridor, keeping his mind clear and his senses sharp.

The control room made itself visible to him, and within moments he was inside the cavernous room, examining each console and monitor before him. Searching for the main console, he removed a small electronic chip from his belt, heading forward and setting it down on a flat surface beside him, beginning to type in commands on an ancient-looking keyboard.

"Bysnys Bansem, I see you fell right into my trap."

A chill in the form of a snake slithered down the Jedi Knight's spine, not only from realizing who had just spoken to him, but also from realizing he really did fall into a trap. This was too easy. Why didn't he realize this from the start? What an amateur mistake, unfitting for a Jedi of his caliber.

Swallowing his pride, he turned and faced the Sith Lord, Balthazor Slade. The Sith's black robe slid to the floor, and Bansem knew all too well what he'd gotten himself into at this point. Eliminating Balthazor Slade had been his secondary priority on this mission, but he'd focused too much on gaining back control of the ship that he'd forgotten all about him, and now he was facing the consequences.

Using the Force to move the electronic chip into place behind his back, Bansem drew his lightsaber, igniting it. "Balthazor Slade, traitor to the Jedi Order. I forgot you were on this ship."

"Just like you forgot to protect your young Padawan all those days ago," Slade taunted, stepping through the doorway. Like a magnet, his lightsaber flew to his hand, igniting its red infamy. "What was her name? Kashaa? Kenna? Ah, what am I saying? It doesn't matter."

Bansem's lower lip twitched as the Sith teased him for his mistake. "Her name was Kashan-Kenna. She was an honorable warrior of justice."

Slade smirked. "She was a good mate, too." He knew this would throw Bansem off his game, and he was right. The Jedi flew into a rage, playing directly into his plan.

The two clashed, with Bansem furiously slamming and swinging his weapon around, while Slade played on the defensive – directly opposite of their prior battles, where Slade was the aggressor and Bansem was the defender, as their normal styles dictated. This was exactly what the Sith Lord wanted. The Jedi Knight was exhausting himself, missing several attacks at a time and depleting his stamina.

The Sith Lord side-stepped a clumsy swipe, and lazily kicked the Jedi Knight into a console, sparks flying out and causing a short-circuit of the room, the lights dimming and turning orange.

"Your dead Padawan should consider herself lucky if this is the kind of crap you were teaching her," said Slade, hopping to the doorway. It opened and he slid out of the room, chuckling.

Bansem snarled, knowing his foe was right. He was letting his anger get the best of him, something he was taught to never do by his master. Relaxing his muscles, he pushed himself off of the console, glancing over to make sure the chip was still working. Sure enough, it was. With a new mindset, he bolted out of the room and into the corridor, confronting Slade again.

"Slade! Your mind tricks will not get the better of me!" he shouted, holding his lightsaber up.

The Sith Lord responded with a cocky grin, then suddenly whipped his free hand out, sending a ball of fire hurling toward his foe. Bansem reacted quickly, using his own Force powers to slow the fireball down and push it back at its owner. This tactic was met with Slade's own Force powers, and the two warred over the ball, not giving an inch. Though they looked evenly matched, Bansem was inferior when it came to the Force, and he knew he had to get back to saber fighting if he wanted to win this fight.

"Your skill with the Force is pathetic!" Slade chortled, sending another fireball from his hand, the two combining to form a much larger one about half the size of the Jedi Knight. "You always were inferior to me when it came down to it, so I have no idea why the Council chose you over me."

Beads of sweat fell from Bansem's chin as he felt his arms giving in. He made a swift move to the side, using the Force to dodge the ball of fire as it blazed past him, hitting the wall behind him and causing a large explosion that sent the both of them slamming into the opposite side.

Predictably, Slade was the first to get up, taking advantage of the moment to catch his breath. Bansem rose to his feet, igniting his lightsaber once more and glaring at Slade.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," said the Jedi Knight, positioning himself into his classic defensive stance. "You lost your way. You became about power, embracing your anger. It clouded your mind, your judgment. The Council saw this, and that's why they chose me over you."

It was evident by Slade's gritted teeth that he didn't enjoy hearing the truth, especially from the one he hated the most in this world. He mulled over whether to engage his rival in lightsaber combat, a field where he knew he was inferior, or to yet again use the Force to his advantage.

Making his decision, he leapt forward, bringing his lightsaber down onto Bansem's. The Jedi parried Slade's assault, pushing him back, twisting, and making a long sweep at his feet. Slade hopped over the attack, using the Force to push Bansem off-balance. He lunged forward, throwing his saber out and slicing the Jedi's leg, prompting a shrewd bellow from the man.

Bansem hobbled back, eluding Slade's attacks as best he could. It seemed the Sith Lord's lightsaber skills had improved slightly since the last time they fought, but not enough to gain victory. As the Sith Lord made a forward striking movement, the Jedi Knight twirled out of the way and struck the man across the lower back. Slade stumbled forward, seething in pain.

The Sith Lord wouldn't be humiliated after catching his rival in such an obvious trap. He snarled, turning swiftly and sending Force lightning straight into his opposer. The Jedi took the brunt of the attack with his lightsaber, holding the red lightning bolts at bay with everything he had.

Slade got to both feet, stepping closer and increasing the intensity. "Just give up, Bysnys! I'll do anything to win, but your Jedi Code forbids you from playing dirty, limiting you!"

Through gritted teeth, Bansem hissed, "That may be true, but in turn, it teaches me the meaning…of victory!" With the Force, he ripped a pipe from the wall, smacking it into Slade, stopping the lightning barrage.

Relieved, the Jedi Knight moved in, taking advantage of the momentarily stunned enemy. He slashed at the man, hoping to remove an arm, but the man fell back, taking only a minor cut to the shoulder. The Sith Lord hopped to his feet, being bombarded with the Jedi Knight's attacks.

The two warriors parried back and forth, but Bansem's superior lightsaber skills showed, and he soon had Slade on the ropes, backed against a wall.

"You won't kill me," Slade choked out, disarming his lightsaber. "It's against your precious code." If this tactic didn't work, he was most likely finished.

"The code has been updated since you last studied under it," Bansem said, almost reveling at the sight of Slade's widened eyes. He jammed his lightsaber into the Sith Lord's gut, holding it there as he spoke. "You killed Kashan-Kenna, and I forgive you for that. When you die, I hope you come back as the man you once were – a good man with honor and passion."

Without warning, a blinding flash exploded from Slade's eyes, causing Bansem to lose focus. As he was desperately trying to regain his vision, Slade tossed him back with the Force. He ripped the lightsaber from his gut and dropped it to the floor, breathing infuriatedly. Now would be the perfect time to finish this.

"This ends now, Bysnys!" he seethed, limping forward. As the Jedi tried to get up, he waved his hand, pulling a pipe from the ceiling and dropping it down onto him, pinning him. "You're not going anywhere until I've killed you…!"

The lights in the corridor shifted to orange, signaling that something was very wrong with the ship they were on. Violent rumbling from below cracked the floor and walls, and pieces of the ceiling began to fall. Realizing his opportunity was gone, Balthazor Slade used the strength he had left to Force sprint in the direction of the hanger his escape pod was located in, leaving Bysnys Bansem to supposedly die as the ship self-destructed.


End file.
